Teaching My Kids and Learning As I Go

Monday, August 16, 2010

Hi. Remember me? Just in case anyone stops by this blog (obviously I don't!), I just wanted to let you all know about my new etsy store- sewitseamsbyme.etsy.com. I have been a little crazy with the skirt making at my house. Clara and I have more than our share! I just have so much fun making them that I decided to see if anyone else liked them as much as I do. Check out the ones I have in my store and be ready for more. I'm in the process of making some strip skirts and bubble skirts and layered skirts- they're all so super cute! So, check it out and tell your friends. Thanks.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The other day I was watching The Doctors. This particular episode they were having a game show, and one of the games, the contestants had to place bones and organs in their correct place on the body. Noah saw parts of the show, but I didn't really think he was absorbing much. But later that night this is what he drew:

Isn't that cutest drawing of the human body you've ever seen? Well, I think so, and I love seeing him transplant images from his brain to the paper.

I asked him if the red circle on the right is the heart, and he said, "No. It's just a red thing." Okay. By the way, the squiggly lines on the head are his brain, and don't you love the bones in the legs and arms? Cute!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

I've never done anything for Memorial Day with my kids, other than the family barbecue. I live an hour away from any cemeteries with family members, and we've never taken the time to drive there and visit their graves, which I feel bad about and should do. When I was little, every Sunday before Memorial Day we'd go visit my Grandmas' graves and other family, and I miss that.

This year, spur of the moment, I decided we needed to go to the local cemetery and teach Noah what the holiday is about. It's a big, old cemetery that I've always wanted to visit, so I decided that today was the day. I wasn't sure what my kids would think, but I was pleasantly surprised. Clara just stayed in the stroller, but she liked looking around. Noah loved it! He saw all the flowers and flags and wanted to know what they were for. It was a wonderful teaching opportunity. After learning that a flag meant that person had been a soldier, he was very excited about finding all the flagged marked graves. He also enjoyed looking at the different gravestones and monuments and learning from Mom and Dad that some of the graves were over one hundred years old.

My very favorite, though, was being able to teach Noah the proper respect needed at a cemetery. He's never been to a funeral or a cemetery before, so this was all very new. A few times he accidentally stepped on some of the graves, but after a quick reprimand from Mom and Dad, he was very careful to treat them more respectfully. That's when he started fixing any flower pots that had fallen over. If any grave's flowers needing straightening, he ran over there and lovingly put them upright. We also encouraged him to put a stray flower lying on the grass on a lonely grave that needed some love. It was very sweet, and I even enjoyed helping him. It brought such a special spirit into my heart, and I'm pretty sure Noah could feel it too.

Noah could have stayed there much longer than we did, but Clara was ready to go. Tonight I've been thinking that maybe this needs to be a tradition. It doesn't matter if we don't know any of the people buried in the cemetery. They are still our brothers and sisters, and it's important to show our respect for the lives they lived.

I thought maybe next year we could actually take our own flowers and place them on graves that are empty. Then we can walk around like we did today and fix the flowers that have fallen down. I think it would be a lovely thing to continue to do. What do you think?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Some of you know that recently I've gotten a little obsessive about making these darling skirts. Clara has three, and I have two, almost three. My best friend has one, all my nieces on my side have one, and two of my sisters have one. Last week we got together and had a skirt sewing party, so don't get too excited- I didn't make all of those skirts. It was very girly and very fun. They're just such darling skirts- I can't get enough of them! Which is why I'm sharing it with all of you. Aside from being so stinking cute, I love this skirt because:

it's easy to make

it's a great skirt for teaching girls to sew because it's mostly just straight stitching

Obviously I haven't taught Clara how to sew them. She just gets to benefit from my madness. But if you have daughters old enough to learn, this would be the pattern to use. After they pick out fabric and assemble all those strips, they'll not only be proud of themselves- they'll be excited to wear it because they will look SO CUTE!

The pattern is by Pinkfig Patterns, and here's the website where you'll find the pattern, along with other darling ones. Her patterns aren't sold everywhere, but she has a list of stores near you where you'll find them.

Have fun sewing with or for your cute little girls!

P.S.- I figured out how to make one for Mommy sizes. Leave your email in the comments if you'd like the measurements.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The January issue of Better Homes and Garden featured a mom in Vancouver Canada who is also an artist who designs paper. She has an online shop and a blog where she writes about her creative life and her little daughter Adelaid. Her business is called Lovely Design, and she's got some fun and fresh ideas.

I guess every month she has a design she features. This is the design for March. I really liked the ideas she gave about what to do with the design. She has links for paper flower making, paper bird making and other fun things. It sounded like the perfect thing to do with my kids to help us get excited for Spring (since Mother Nature doesn't seem to be). Check out her blog. I think you'll like it.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Aren't Dads the greatest? The list of things that Moms do everyday is at least a mile long, but there are some things that only Dad can do.

The past week or so I had been having the toughest time with Noah. My sweet little boy was M.I.A, and I was desperate for his return. But nothing I could say or do would bring him back. That's when I called on Dad for some help. After Dad heard about the grief Noah was causing me, he called for Noah and they had a talk.

Dad explained how Noah's behavior was not okay and that it was making his Mom sad. He challenged Noah to go through the whole day without whining and throwing a fit when Mom asked him to do something. He told Noah that he knew he could do it because of what a good boy he is. At the end of their little talk Noah promised he would be better and not whine and throw fits for the day.

It worked! My sweet little boy returned, and I can't believe the difference it made! It was so much easier for me to be happy and patient when my five year old wasn't acting like a two year old anymore, and it was so much easier to love him. The effects haven't worn off either! He's been fabulous for two days in a row, and I don't see the trend ending any time soon because of how proud of himself he is. Yesterday he was very anxious for his Dad to get home so he could tell him how good he was. He's also earned a lot more fish points (someday I'll explain what those are).

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I'm still here. I've just been hiding from my blogs. I'm also finding that it's harder and harder to find time to sit at the computer without having kids crawling all over me, fighting for my attention. Once they're in bed, I have a husband doing the same thing. I guess it's nice being needed.

I thought I'd post something simple- a book review! Yay for books! The two I'm showcasing are Clara's new favorites.

This one is "Giddy-up! Let's Ride!" by Flora McDonald. It's based on the nursery rhyme "This is the way the ---- rides." It's a very simple book, but kids love the repetitive, rhythmic narrative. The pictures are also fun, and if your child is like mine and LOVES horses, they'll love this.

Last the best of all the game, is "The Wheels on the Bus" by Paul Zelinsky. This is a pop-up version of the classic song. It is so adorable! You and your kids will instantly love this book. The pictures are so much fun. There are tons of stories going on with all the different people getting on and off the bus. Plus, the pop-ups are so cute. My favorite is the page with the crying babies and the shushing Mamas. The pop-up shows a Mom putting a binky in and out of the baby's mouth- so cute!! Clara wants me to read this to her a hundred times a day, at least. But I always read it with her because this is a definite go-on-top-of-the-bookshelf book.

*Don't quote me on this, but I think both of these books might be out of print, which would be a humongous shame if it were true. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I was able to get both of them on Amazon, but I got them used. Hopefully you can find them at your library too.

Our Family

There's Dad and Mom and Noah, age 5, and Clara, age 2

About This Blog

I discovered almost instantly as a new parent, as almost all parents do, that parenting is a learn as you go kind of thing. This blog is all about me and how I'm learning to be a better teacher to my kids. It's also about me discovering who I am as a mother. I do not profess to be an expert in child rearing, by any means. I have lots to learn, so that's why I'm counting on lots of help from my readers. I welcome all to my blog, especially your comments and suggestions. Thanks for visiting my humble little corner on cyber-space.

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What you'll find on here

Books

Crafts

FHE ideas

Food

Games

Music

My Goals for Me

Be more organized

Have regular family scripture study

Have regular FHEs

Have regular play/learning times

Have spontaneous play/learning times

What I want my children to learn

to be helpful

to be kind to others

to have testimonies

to know they're loved

to love learning

to love life

to love music

to love reading

to work

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If you'd like to post your own ideas when it comes to educating your children, just leave a comment with your email address. If you know my email address, you can contact me that way. In your posts you can include things like crafts, games, music, FHE lessons, and other tips.